Nepal

Over a decade ago, and following a lengthy civil war, Nepal’s political parties agreed to change the country’s unitary system of government to a federal system. After years of discord and stasis, the country’s Constituent Assembly successfully passed a new constitution in September 2015, which mandates establishing three tiers of government: federal, provincial, and local. Now, the country’s leaders must deliver on those promises of the Constitution.

Therefore, CIPE and its partners are working to support the effective implementation of federalism in Nepal. Local government can make policy decisions more responsive to citizens, decentralization can facilitate entrepreneurship, and pro-growth competition can emerge among provinces. In this way, successful implementation of federalization can underpin the success of democracy in Nepal in the long term.

To hold newly-established provincial governments accountable for the implementation of promised reforms, CIPE and its partner Samriddhi Foundation, a well-respected Nepali think tank, supported the growth of three subnational think tanks, who are now also partners – Hriti Foundation, Bikalpa – An Alternative, and Pokhara Research Centre – to empower subnational bottom-up accountability.

Additionally, CIPE has partnered with Accountability Lab Nepal to help foster collaboration between the public and the private sector by working towards institutionalizing public-private dialogue at the subnational level. CIPE and its partners are working to strengthen economic and democratic governance at all levels as Nepal transitions to a democratic federal state.

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Additional Resources

• CIPE’s John Morrell Interviewed by the Kathmandu Post in Nepal
• Legislation Repository of Economic Themes: Unlocking Business Successes in Nepal
• Reflections on Local Elections in Nepal Focus: Kathmandu Metropolitan City
• Helping Federalism Deliver on Its Promise: The Case of Motorbike Licenses in Nepal  
• Democracy that Delivers #270: Citizen-Centric Development and Response during the Pandemic in Nepal – Where Did the Government Fail?
• Democracy that Delivers #265: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal   
• The Importance of ‘Where’ in Revitalization Strategies for Nepal — Part 4
• The Importance of ‘Where’ in Revitalization Strategies for Nepal — Part 3  
• COVID-19 and Tourism in Nepal: Opportunities for New Pathways  
• Economic Reforms for Economic Prosperity: There is no Alternative to Speedy Reform
• COVID-19 and Remittance Flows in Nepal: Potential Turning Point for Development  
• Accelerating Private Sector Reform
• Re-engineering the Supply Chain in Nepal
• The Importance of ‘Where’ in Revitalization Strategies for Nepal — Part 2
• Stalling the Pandemic of Corruption  
• Democracy That Delivers #215: Akash Shrestha on Nepal’s Post-COVID19 Recovery Plans  
• The Importance of ‘Where’ in Revitalization Strategies for Nepal — Part 1: Mapping a Pandemic from Global to Local  
• Democracy that Delivers #201: Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Nepal’s Economy   
• Democracy That Delivers #190 – Deependra Chaulagain on Federalism and Entrepreneurship in Nepal  
• Democracy That Delivers #181 – Narayan Adhikari on Fighting Corruption in Nepal with the Accountability Lab
• Nepal: Shifting Gear from South to North